Taylor Jenkins Reid is a master storyteller and I have loved her writing ever since I read The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo a few years ago. I love the way she weaves these historical fiction stories and vividly brings her characters and their decades to life. I love historical fiction stories but get burnt out on war books sometimes, and TJR is always a great choice when I want something fun and different! Her books are auto buys for me and she has once again delivered a phenomenal story in her upcoming release Carrie Soto is Back.
One of my favorite things about TJR’s characters is that she writes complex and flawed characters. They’re not always likable but they do tend to be strong, and smart, and end up making readers root for them. Carrie Soto is probably one of the least likable of her characters so far and she’s routinely seen called the Ice Queen. Her father Javi, an immigrant from Argentina and famed tennis player, has always known Carrie would the greatest Tennis player to live. She’s spent her life living up to this ideal but in 1993 she’s 37 years old and her records are being threatened. As Nicki Chan slowly chips away at Carrie’s records, Carrie knows she has to return to the game to keep herself as number 1. As Carrie works to get back in peak playing shape, she’ll need to determine who she is and what it means to be the best.
I loved this book. I loved our characters, especially Bowe and Javi. I loved the challenge Carrie takes on in the book. I love the cameos from Daisy Jones and the Six and Malibu Rising, and most of all I love that the writing is so vivid it made me feel as if I was sitting in the stands. I like sports, to begin with, but my knowledge of tennis is pretty low. TJR does a great job of laying the basics of the sport out for readers and made me want to pick up my old racket again.
This will be the perfect end-of-summer read and I can promise you are going to want to binge this one. Dare I say that Carrie Soto almost dethroned my Evelyn as my favorite TJR book??
Ranking of TJR books I’ve read:
- Tie – The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo & Carrie Soto is Back
- Malibu Rising
- Daisy Jones and the Six
Carrie Soto is Back comes out August 30, 2022! Huge thank you to Ballantine Books and Random House Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.
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